Embrace the Darkness
by darnedchild
Summary: MHAW Winter 2019 Day 7 : Free For All. She took a deep breath and sealed her fate. "I—I . . . You wanted my help to wake your people. I'm here. What do you need?" (The third and possibly final chapter of the "Descent Into Darkness" series.)


**A/N:** Because I'm an idiot, I decided to write seven fics in seven hours so I could participate in the Winter 2019 MHAW back in February, and I waited until the absolute last minute. So here you go, not beta'd because I was in a hurry at the time and now I'm just lazy.

This is part three of a series of Khanolly fics. You may want to read the first two parts before this one. ("Descent Into Darkness" and "From Darkness", both on Ao3 and FFdotNet) Or not. It's up to you.

Day Seven – Free For All

**Embrace the Darkness**

". . . by the time Kirk and Spock have been debriefed and the Federation has heard all about Admiral Marcus and convened a committee to decide whether or not to pursue you, you'll be long gone. If you destroy them now, every armed ship in the area will be sent after you in retaliation within a matter of hours."

Molly took another step closer to the Captain's chair of the _Vengeance_ and tried to reason with the imposing man sitting in it. "You'll need time to revive your crew. This could buy you some of that time."

"And you, Molly? What would you have me do with you?" His voice was warm velvet covered in steel.

She took a deep breath and sealed her fate. "I—I . . . You wanted my help to wake your people. I'm here. What do you need?"

He tapped a finger against the arm of the chair. "Khan to the crew of the _Enterprise_. As promised, I have returned your crew—"

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

The cargo hold was filled with torpedo tubes.

Molly bit the inside of her cheek as she stepped up to the first one. If Spock had attempted to trick Khan, had somehow switched Khan's crew for live torpedoes, and she accidently armed it . . .

She shuddered and wrapped her arms around her middle for comfort.

Khan knelt next to the tube and compared the serial number etched on the side to the list on his data pad.

"This might be easier if we had help. Do any of them have medical training?" She contemplated the vast number of people that would need to be eased out of cryostasis, each one needing to be carefully monored until they were out of danger. Even if Khan could go without rest for extended periods, she would need to eat and sleep or she'd be utterly useless. One mistake could mean the life of one of the seventy-two men and women of Khan's crew.

"We need to find Joachim. He'll be the first." Khan stood up and moved to the next tube to examine the serial number.

Molly started working her way down the next row with her own data pad. "Is he a doctor?"

"My second-in-command," he corrected. Before Molly could protest, Khan explained his decision, "Someone will need to be on the bridge if we're going to be otherwise occupied in sickbay."

She continued to look uncertain. Khan bit back whatever he'd been about to say and forced his expression into something softer in an effort to reassure her. "My security chief has practical experience as a nurse, and her mate is our medical officer. We can awaken them after Joachim."

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

Joachim was pale with dark hair, shorter than Khan but imposing nevertheless. He was constantly watching, like a predator waiting for his prey to make one fatal mistake. Something about him made Molly uneasy. She especially didn't like the way he looked at Khan when the other man's attention was focused elsewhere.

The medical officer was called Watson. It took Molly a few days to warm to him. Her initial impression was of a gruff man with the sort of temper that was quick to explode in frustration and equally quick to die down, leaving him contrite. The second time he'd snapped at her, Molly had snapped right back and banished him from sickbay until he apologized. Khan had simply shaken his head when Watson looked to him for support, and reminded Watson that Molly was the chief medical officer on board the ship, therefore the sickbay was under her authority.

"Within reason," he'd added just loud enough for her to hear.

Rosamund was Watson's mate, and she answered only to Khan on matters of ship security (bypassing Joachim, which was something that reassured Molly considerably). Molly liked the blonde woman. She was no nonsense while she was working, but she often had a smile and a laugh to offer to Molly when she came to visit her mate in sickbay.

Khan identified the most vital members of his crew and he, Molly, and Watson steadily moved through the list over the next two weeks. She insisted they took their time, never more than half a dozen crew members recovering at a time to minimize the risks. She knew the pace frustrated Khan but he had to concede that the safety of his crew was paramount.

Finally, eighteen days after the confrontation with the _Enterprise_, and fifteen days since they'd left Federation space, the last of Khan's crew was released from sickbay and Molly could finally relax.

She'd been sleeping on whatever med bed was open at the time, only leaving sickbay to shower and eat when her body demanded it. She was looking forward to hunting down an empty room in the crew quarters and sleep for the next three days straight.

Once she waved Watson and Rosamund out the door with the promise that she'd join them in the mess for a meal as soon as she'd finished putting the last of the equipment away, Molly curled up on one of the beds and told herself she was only going to rest her eyes for just a moment.

இڿڰۣ-ڰۣ—

Molly had no idea how long she slept. The room was completely dark when she opened her eyes and it took her several seconds to realize that wasn't right. She sat up in a panic, her mind screaming that even during the night cycle sickbay was gently lit from various scanners and readouts that constantly monitored her patients.

Pitch black meant a system failure.

System failure could mean death.

Before she could roll out of the bed a hand grasped her wrist and stilled her.

"Computer, half-lights," the deep voice of Khan rolled out of the darkness. It was huskier than she was used to, as if she'd pulled him out of his sleep with her movements.

A warm, soft glow came from recessed lighting around the room, illuminating the unfamiliar surroundings and the man laying at her side on the bed that most definitely was not the one she'd fallen asleep on in sickbay.

Khan continued to hold her wrist, although his hold was gentle and she knew she'd be able to pull free if she wanted to.

"Where am I?" Molly asked.

"You are in the Captain's Quarter's," the Computer answered.

Khan's lips curled upward in amusement. "Computer, that will be all. I can take it from here."

"Acknowledged, Captain."

Molly let her gaze take in the room, it was nearly as large as the flat she'd called home for the last several years. Admiral Marcus had clearly spared no expense when he'd chosen the furnishings for what would have been his quarters if he'd maintained command of the ship.

"Nice." She gestured with her free hand to indicate the room at large.

"It serves its purpose," Khan acknowledged.

She might have continued to shyly dance around the important question if her stomach hadn't chosen that moment to remind her that she'd probably missed dinner. Frankly, she was hungry and a Hungry Molly was an Impatient, Blunt Molly. "So how did I end up in it?"

He laughed. "Rosamund became concerned when you didn't meet them as promised. You were so exhausted you barely stirred when I tried to wake you and I thought it best to let you continue to sleep."

"That doesn't explain how I ended up in this bed." She left the 'with you' unspoken.

"Surely you didn't expect me to leave you in sickbay?" His hand drifted from her wrist up her arm to her shoulder, then he applied the barest hint of pressure to urge her to lie down once more. "The Computer informed me that you haven't been assigned quarters of your own. This seemed like the logical choice. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I-I . . . Yes?" It definitely came out as more of a question than she would have liked.

He slid his arm around her waist as he leaned over her, his body hot along her side. They were both fully clothed, but Molly felt her heart race in excitement as if they were fully naked and pressed against each other.

"You're welcome to stay here until you're fully recovered." He moved impossibly closer, dipping his head until his lips brushed against her ear. "In fact, you can stay as long as you like, Molly. My Molly."


End file.
